Water heater



Jan. 12, 1932. FLOWER 1,840,575

WATER HEATER F iled Nov. 1, 1930 Sheets-Sheet l Jan. 12, 1932.

G. E. FLOWER WATER HEATER Filed Nov. 1, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 1. m n WePatented Jan. 12, 1932 warren STATES GEORGE E. FLOWER, OF HOBART, NEWYORK WATER Application filed November The object of this invention is toprovide a water-heater of simple construction which will utilize to ahigh degree the heat developed by the burner, as more fully hereinaft-erset forth.

This application is a continuation in part of my copending applicationSer. No. 356,068, filed April 18 1929.

In the drawings in Fig. l is a side elevation of my apparatus; Fig. 2 isa vertical section on the line 2-2 of Fig. 5;

Fig. 3 is a vertical section on the line 33 of Fig. 5; Fig. 4 is adetail plan partly in horizontal section of the header of the heaterunit;

Fig. 5 is a view of one end of the heater unit;

Fig. 6 is a View of the other end of the 2 heater unit.

Referring to the drawings annexed by reference-characters, 10 designatesa watertank; 11, a hot-water pipe leading to the top thereof; 12-, acold-water pipe leading to the bottom of the tank. The cold-water pipe12 is connected to a nipple 13 formed on the side-wall of aheader-casing 14, and the hot-water pipe 11 is connected to a nipple 15leading into said casing 14. The casing 14 is divided horizontally intotwo chambers 16 and 17 by a partition-wall 18. The coldwater nippleconnects with the top chamber 16 and the hot-water nipple 15 connectswith the lower chamber 17. To enable the hot and cold water connections11 and 12 to be varied, I prefer providing an additional cold-waternipple 19 and an additional hotwater nipple 20, each of which is closedby a plug 21 which may be removed and inserted in the nipples 13 and 15should the supplemental nipples 19 and 20 be employed instead of saidnipples 13 and 15.

Connecting the water-chambers 16 and 17 is a plurality of U-shaped tubesarranged to conduct the cooler water from chamber 16 down to theunderneath, hot chamber 17, so that the circulation through the unitwill be through the cold-water inlet 13, chamber 16,

5 the U-shaped tubes, and thence out through HEATER 1, 1930. Serial No.492,823.

the hot-Water chamber 17 to the hot-water nipple 15 and hot-water pipe11.

The burner is arranged under the U-shaped tubes, as showndiagrammaticall at 22 in Fig. 1. The U-shaped heating tu es are arrangedin two groups 23 and 24, which cross each other in the manner shown inFig. 6. The group 23 is connected to the cold-water chamber 16 at oneside of the vertical center of the header 14, and the group 24 isconnected to the same chamber at the other side of the vertical center.The bent outer ends ofthe tubes cross each other, the group 24 extendingthrough the group 23 so that the lower legs of the tubes enter thehotwater, outgoing chamber 17 at opposite sides of the vertical centerof the header. In this way, a very compact arrangement of heating-tubesis provided, and the straight portions of the tubes are verticallystaggered with reference to each other, so that the ascending flamesfrom the burner will give the maximum heating efl'ect to the watercirculating within the tubes. For the sake of compactness, the inletlegs of each set of tubes as well as the outlet -legs of each set oftubes are arranged to connect with the chambers 16 and 17 on linesinclining from the center of the header outwardly toward the endsthereof, as shown more particularly in Fig. 6. It will be noted alsothat the upper, cold-water legs of both groups of tubes inclinedownwardly toward the outer, bent ends of the tubes, and that from thesebent portions the hot-water legs of the tubes incline downwardly,thereby pro- -moting circulation of the water.

It will be observed that in my apparatus the incoming cooler water ispreheated in the chamber 16 and the upper legs of the tubes and is thenpassed through the legs of the tubes that are closest to the flame ofthe burner to thereby bring the Water to its highest degree of heat justbefore it ascends into the hotwater pipe 11, to thereby insure a rapidcir- 7 culation of the water and consequently rapid heating of the Waterin the tank.

' To prevent air being trapped in the inletchamber 17, I provide ableed-opening 25 and to permit access to be had to this bleed-openingfor the purpose of cleaning it from time to time, I provide a removablescrew-plug 26 in an adjacent wall of the header 14L. It will beunderstood that, altho I have illustrated my heater unit as beingindependent of a stove, this unit may be built into and form a part ofan oil or gas stove, so long as the heating-tubes 232t are so arrangedas vto be subjected to the flame of one or more of the burners in thestove.

I prefer making the back wall of the casing a separate plate, 32,andbolting the same removably to the casing by means of bolts 33 and aflange 31 formed on the casing,- a suit able gasket 34 being provided tomake the joint motor tight. This makes the device much easier tomanufacture and more accessible for cleaning as well as rendering iteasy also an outlet, said heating unit embodying a header having anupper cold-water chamber and a lower hot-water chamber connectedrespectively to said inlet, and said outlet, and a plurality ofheating-tubes having their inlets connected to the top chamber and theiroutlets connected to the lower chamber, these tubes being staggered withreference to each other and having their upper legs inclined downwardlyand outwardly and their lower legs inclined downwardly toward theheader, the back wall of said header being provided with a deflectingand reenforcing flange extending backwardly into the space between theupper and lower tubes.

In testimony whereof I hereunto aflix my signature.

GEORGE E. FLOWER.

gral flange 35, which extends backwardly into the space between thetwosets of tubes throughout the length of the back wall or, the acasing. This flange not only reenforces the back plate of the header orcasing, but also serves to distribute the heat more evenly around theheating tubes 23.

What I claim as new is:

1. In a water-heater of the type set forth, 3

a heater unit having a cold-water inlet and also an outlet, said heatingunitembodying a header having an upper cold-Water chamber and a lowerhot-water chamber connected respectively to said inlet and saidoutlet,and a plurality of heating-tubes having their inlets connected to thetop chamber andtheir outlets connected to the lower chamber, these tubesbeing. staggered with reference to each other andhaving their upper legsinclined downwardly and outwardly and their lower legs inclineddownwardly toward the'header,

said tubes being U-shaped and beingarranged V in two groups, the outerU-shaped ends of one group extending within and across the U- shapedends to the othergroup.

2. In a water-heater of the type set forth,

a heater unit having a cold-water inlet and Y outlets connected to thelower chamber, these tubes being staggered with reference to each otherand having their upper legs inclined downwardly and outwardly and theirlower legs inclined downwardly toward the header, said upper chamberhaving-anair bleed port leading into the hot-wateroutl'et and aremovable plugfor permitting access to said port for cleaning. 1

In a water-heater of the type set'forth, a I

heater unit having cold 'water-ii'nlet, and

